ESA unveils Accessible Games Initiative aimed at boosting accessibility feature awareness
Electronic Arts, Google, Microsoft, Nintendo, Sony, and Ubisoft have supported a unified tagging system aimed at boosting visibility of accessibility features.
The Entertainment Software Association has revealed a new campaign aimed at boosting visibility of accessibility features in gaming. The Accessible Games Initiative brings together the efforts of numerous major publishers in gaming and is aiming to redefine game tagging in marketing and on boxes with tags that endorse which accessibility options a game might feature.
The ESA announced the Accessibility Games Initiative at GDC 2025 this week, as well as opening up a website for the cause. This initiative includes a collaboration between major publishers, including Electronic Arts, Google, Microsoft, Nintendo, Sony Interactive Entertainment and Ubisoft with the goal of providing clear information and markets that educate customers on the inclusion of accessibility features available in video games. The heart of the initiative is a new tagging system that includes tags separated into a variety of categories, including visual features (colorblind and subtitle features), input features (degrees of button remapping and alternative control availability), gameplay features (saving availability and difficulty), and auditory features (text-to-speech, narrated menus, audio style compatibility).
ESA took center stage today at #GDC2025 to showcase the industry’s commitment to accessibility! Paul Amadeus Lane moderated a panel with experts from @EA, @Google, @Xbox, @NintendoAmerica & @Ubisoft, unveiling the Accessible Games Initiative.
— Entertainment Software Association (@theESA) March 20, 2025
More: https://t.co/g9ROE3h1zg pic.twitter.com/AWUmEBtHur
The Accessibilty Games Initiative represents a major move by some of gaming’s largest developers and publishers to make the medium more open to all kinds of players. Accessibility has been a growing concern in gaming, especially aided and boosted by groups like AbleGamers and SpecialEffect, who've worked tirelessly to bring games to disabled players around the world and advocated for better technology and in-game features that serve them.
With the Accessibilty Games Initiative joining the conversation, players can look forward to better information when it comes to finding games that fit their capabilities. For more information and coverage, follow our Accessibilty topic here at Shacknews.
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